And I'm The 'Islamaphobe'

I'm used to it, sad to say, but true. When you speak, lecture, teach and write about terrorism or more specifically Islam, you get used to the name calling and threats.

My last article "Cloaks and Keffiyehs" received the normal comments, among them; as usual I was called an "Islamaphobe". The comment also said I was "a horrible person". I hang my head in shame, not!

It was rather humorous since as always I state facts and was blasted for repeating what someone else stated. I always link my sources and in this case even the person who named called pointed it out,

You repeat the words of a KNOWN bigot (Guandolo) as if they are credible, and deal in racist insinuation. It is disgusting.

But that's what happens when you write about Islam, it doesn't matter if its fact, it only matters if it's considered blasphemous against Islam. According to Islamic (Sharia) law, it is a criminal offense to speak negatively of Islam, its Prophet, and its holy Scriptures (Qur'an and Hadith). Blasphemy is punishable by death. Again this is fact not my opinion.

Well now the ‘stealth Jihad' has entered our schools with blessings from Allah the almighty, well, that's what some schools in Texas are teaching about Allah anyway. CSCOPE appears to be the culprit behind the curriculum. All it started when a picture was posted by a student on Facebook.

A Texas lawmaker is launching an investigation after a high school teacher reportedly invited her female students to dress in burqas and refer to Muslim terrorists as "freedom fighters."

Yes, before you wonder, this does include the "freedom fighters" that flew planes into the World Trade Center on 9/11. You know, the "freedom fighters" that murdered 3000 Americans and took the U.S. to war in Afghanistan.

Oh, but it gets worse, much worse. This was in a Geography class. I'd ask the obvious question, but I don't have to. One of the students father asked for me,

The girl's father is confused why a geography class is teaching religion at all. "She went from learning about Mexico to learning about Russia to learning about Islam," he told Fox. "Islam is not a country. Islam is not a continent."

Another parent pointed out the religious aspect,

"I felt like the line had been crossed," a parent of the daughter who posted the Facebook photo told Fox. "Christian kids who want to pray have to do it outside of school hours - yet Islam is being taught to our kids during school hours."

According to the article,

The school district released a statement to Fox News defending the class: "The lesson that was offered focused on exposing students to world cultures, religions, customs and belief systems. The lesson is not teaching a specific religion, and the students volunteered to wear the clothing."

"Volunteered to wear the clothing"? If that is the case why did one student claim she was asked to sign a statement about the burqa,

After a photo went viral of several Lumberton High School students wearing burqas, traditional Islamic women's garb, April LeBlanc said her daughter called her from school in tears because administrators asked her to sign a statement saying she was not forced to don the garment.

According to one student in the class, the lesson was to teach about the life of women in Islam. The burqa exercise focused on fashion.

Fashion? Really? Need I explain that the teacher didn't bother to teach the students that women in Islamic countries that are caught dressed improperly are subject to beatings, prison and is some cases even death?

So how does CSCOPE fit in to all this? According to all reports the parents who contacted the principal, said he defended the program that is required under CSCOPE. The story of CSCOPE being the group behind the lesson made national news and caused CSCOPE to refute the claim.

Hmmm. I didn't see Geography listed there, but then again I too am a product of a public school education.

The website also answers my question of how many school districts are using CSCOPE,

As of September 25, 2012, there are 875 active CSCOPE districts. This equates to approximately 70% of the districts in Texas.

Their homepage has the following about the burqa controversy,

False Information on Burqas in CSCOPE

Certain articles have recently claimed that a picture of students wearing burqas was part of a CSCOPE lesson used in a teacher's classroom. This activity was not a part of any lesson in CSCOPE; rather, it was a locally developed lesson in a Texas school district. For more information from the school district, click here.

Following the link takes you to a letter from the Lumberton Independent School District,

Lumberton ISD Response to CSCOPE and Promotion of Islam

Recently a picture had surfaced showing five students dressed in burqas (Islamic attire) in a World Geography classroom at Lumberton High School. The lesson that was offered was not a written CSCOPE lesson; however it informed students to the customary culture of the people in the Middle East. The lesson that occurred was presented on February 1, 2013. As part of the curriculum from the World Geography TEKS (as prescribed by the state of Texas), the students are to study the culture (TEKS number 17)

Not a written CSCOPE lesson but a TEKS lesson. So what exactly is TEKS? TEKS stands for Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. The Texas Education Agency website states,

TEKS are the state standards for what students should know and be able to do.

In the 70 percent of Texas public schools where a private curriculum has been installed, students are learning the "fact" that "Allah is the Almighty God," charge critics of a new online curriculum that already is facing condemnation for its secrecy and restrictions on oversight.

The program, called CSCOPE, is a private venture operating under the umbrella of the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative, whose incorporation documents state its independence from the State Board of Education of the Texas Education Agency.

The report continues,

According to excerpts, under the heading, "Who Is Allah?," students are told:

"Allah is the Almighty God."

"Allah alone is the Creator. He alone deserves our devout love and worship."

A Foxnews reporter interviewed the parents of one of the girls in the photo,

The parents said they confronted their daughter and told her to explain exactly what she had been taught.

"They were asked about their perception of Islam," she said. "Most of the class said they thought about terrorism. And her response was, ‘we're going to change the way we perceive Islam.'"

The State Senator who launched the investigation spoke to Fox as well,

State Sen. Dan Patrick, chairman of the senate education committee, told Fox News he is very disturbed by the photograph as well as reports that students were exposed to a story that blamed Egypt's turmoil on democracy - rather than the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Washington Times article also reported,

Janice VanCleave, the founder of Texas CSCOPE Review, which monitors what is being taught in the state's schools. Said, "They are definitely promoting the Islamic religion."

VanCleave argues that CSCOPE offers no comparable lessons on Christianity or Judaism.

"I do think CSCOPE promotes the Islamic religion," she added. "I don't think it's right to be proselytizing the Islamic religion in our schools."

Yes burqa's are a "fashion", terrorists are "freedom fighters" and "Allah is the Almighty God".

But I, I am an "Islamaphobe".

FamilySecurityMatters.orgContributing Editor Gadi Adelman is a freelance writer and lecturer on the history of terrorism and counterterrorism. He grew up in Israel, studying terrorism and Islam for 35 years after surviving a terrorist bomb in Jerusalem in which 7 children were killed. Since returning to the U. S., Gadi teaches and lectures to law enforcement agencies as well as high schools and colleges. He can be heard every Thursday night at 8PM est. on his own radio show "America Akbar" on Blog Talk Radio. He can be reached through his website gadiadelman.com.

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